In cities such as New York and Kansas City before 1920, the Sicilian Mafia, whose members were among the four million people who immigrated from southern Italy to America starting in about 1875, made money through the “Black Hand” racket — sending cryptic letters demanding payments from ethnic Italians with threats of violence or death.

In one big city alone— Chicago—an estimated 1,300 gangs had spread like a deadly virus by the mid-1920s. There was no easy cure. With wallets bursting from bootlegging profits, gangs outfitted...

Oct 22, 2009 · In the late 1920s, a bloody power struggle known as the Castellammarese War broke out between New York City’s two biggest Italian-American criminal gangs. In 1931, after the faction led by...

Jan 14, 2019 · In the 1920s, Charles “Lucky” Luciano was famous for bringing together some of New York’s biggest Italian and Jewish mobsters to dominate the city’s bootlegging business.

Jan 17, 2012 · As Prohibition commenced in 1920, progressives and temperance activists envisioned an age of moral and social reform. But over the next decade, the “noble experiment” produced crime, violence, and a flourishing illegal liquor trade.

May 9 – Prominent New York mob associate Meyer Lansky marries Anna Citron. May 13–15 – The Atlantic City Conference is held in Atlantic City, New Jersey by American East Coast and Midwest organized crime leaders.

Oct 14, 2009 · The American Mafia rose to power in the 1920s, before anti-racketeering laws and other techniques brought down high-ranking mobsters by the end of the century. Open navigation Close navigation.

Prohibition taught organized crime syndicates how to cooperate on a national scale. In the wake of the 1920s, the American Mafia established more formal networks, including the infamous “Commission,” which helped regulate disputes between …

Jan 27, 2024 · During this era, several notorious figures rose to prominence within the criminal underworld, using violence and manipulation to solidify their control. These individuals, often referred to as mafia bosses, became household names for …

When Prohibition took effect in 1920, some Americans had no intention of abandoning their enjoyment of alcohol. Learn about Prohibition from The Mob Museum.